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President Donald Trump has directed federal agencies to find ways to make it easier to forcibly hospitalize homeless people with mental illness and addiction for longer periods — an effort to fight what the administration calls “vagrancy” threatening the streets of U.S. cities. An executive order signed Thursday pushes federal agencies to overturn state and federal legal precedent that limits how local and state governments can involuntarily commit people who pose a risk to themselves or others. (Ovalle, 7/24)

The National Institutes of Health and the federal agency responsible for securing the nation’s nuclear weapons were among the victims in a global breach of Microsoft server software over the weekend, according to officials at the agencies. The incident at NIH, which has not been previously reported, involved at least one Microsoft SharePoint server system, said Andrew Nixon, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services, and its scope and severity are being investigated. (Nakashima, Menn and Johnson, 7/23)

The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to allow it to cut hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of research funding in its push to roll back federal diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. The Justice Department argued a federal judge in Massachusetts was wrong to block the National Institutes of Health from making $783 million worth of cuts to align with President Donald Trump’s priorities. U.S. District Judge William Young found that the abrupt cancellations ignored long-held government rules and standards. (Whitehurst, 7/24)

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Thursday voted to recommend Dr. Brian Christine for confirmation as HHS assistant secretary for health, a top job at the agency. At HHS, Christine would advise Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as well as the uniformed public-health service, a group of more than 6,000 doctors, nurses and health professionals overseen by the surgeon general that work inside government agencies. (Levien, 7/24)

The US Department of Agriculture will cut Washington, DC, area jobs by more than 50% and relocate employees to offices across the country in a bid to cut costs. The agency said it expects no more than 2,000 employees in the Washington, DC, area as a result of the agency’s restructuring, down from 4,600 currently, according to a statement on Thursday. (Peng and Hirtzer, 7/24)

Bypassing its standard pathways for scientific discussions, FDA has recently held a slew of so-called "expert panels" that sidestep legal procedures and ethics guardrails, raising concern about cherry-picking of experts and evidence. The panels appear to be a new feature of Trump administration officials, and have no parallel in agency programs from years past, sources said. They're usually moderated by FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, MD, MPH, and FDA principal deputy commissioner Sara Brenner, MD, MPH. (Robertson, 7/24)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: Listen: Some Scientists Speak Out On Deep Cuts To National Cancer Institute, While Others Flee

The National Cancer Institute, long credited with driving down U.S. cancer death rates, is facing massive upheaval as the Trump administration imposes deep funding cuts. Grants have been abruptly terminated, key employees laid off, and essential patient resources left unmaintained. Hundreds of current and former NIH employees have protested through the Bethesda Declaration, warning that these cuts could stall decades of progress in cancer research. (Pradhan, 7/25)

The Trump administration plans to incinerate $9.7 million worth of contraceptives intended for poor nations, after declining offers from the United Nations and reproductive organizations to buy or ship the supplies instead, the State Department confirmed to Axios on Thursday. (Walker, 7/24)

President Donald Trump’s budget cuts to Medicaid have forced Planned Parenthood Mar Monte to shutter five clinics across Northern California and the Central Coast, including one in South San Francisco, the group said Thursday. The GOP-led federal spending bill that Trump signed into law earlier this month eliminated federal Medicaid funding for any type of medical care to organizations that perform abortions. (DiNatale and Garofoli, 7/24)

New Hampshire is the first state to legally require doctors and medical staff to follow a patient's desires to seek sterilization, especially if it’s the result of a medically necessary operation. The new law, signed by Gov. Kelly Ayotte earlier this month, specifically addresses people with medical conditions who want to get sterilized for their reproductive health. (Richardson, 7/24)

A new lawsuit filed in Texas could force federal courts to weigh in on the legality of telehealth abortions, which people have increasingly used to terminate their pregnancies since Roe v. Wade was overturned. (Luthra, 7/24)

Three years after the Supreme Court opened the door to state abortion bans, most U.S. adults say abortion should be legal — views that look similar to before the landmark ruling. The new findings from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll show that about two-thirds of U.S. adults think abortion should be legal in all or most cases. About half believe abortion should be available in their state if someone does not want to be pregnant for any reason. (Mulvihill and Thomson-Deveaux, 7/24)

Diagnosing endometriosis could soon be much easier thanks to a new at home-test that can detect a biomarker for the disease in period blood. The pregnancy-like test created by researchers at the Pennsylvania State University offers up a diagnosis with high sensitivity in just 10 minutes. (Millington, 7/24)

All menopause treatments containing the hormone estrogen are mandated by the US Food and Drug Administration to carry a black box warning on the label, stating that the treatments could increase the risk of strokes, blood clots, dementia and breast cancer. Now, that advisory may be going away. Last week, a panel of experts convened by the FDA urged the federal agency to remove the cautionary language on at least some forms of hormone therapy. (Hetter, 7/24)

After months of unconfirmed reports about a potential federal probe into its Medicare business, UnitedHealth Group, the giant health care conglomerate, announced Thursday morning that it was cooperating with the U.S. Department of Justice and responding to both formal criminal and civil requests. UnitedHealth said it had “proactively reached out” to the Justice Department after news reports of a government investigation had surfaced, according to an unsigned company statement. (Abelson, 7/24)

As Congress mulls changes to the Medicare Advantage program, smaller insurers are working to distance themselves from industry leaders. During a recent Modern Healthcare webinar, SCAN Group President and CEO Dr. Sachin Jain, Alignment Healthcare President Dawn Maroney and Sanford Health Plan President and CEO Dr. Tommy Ibrahim described themselves as smaller players reckoning with policies designed for the national heavyweights. (Tepper, 7/24)

Molina Healthcare plans to pursue mergers and acquisitions to offset rising claims and medical costs. The insurer, whose core businesses are Medicaid, Medicare and the insurance exchanges, again cut its 2025 financial guidance Thursday as it reported second-quarter earnings. (DeSilva, 7/24)

Executives said high start-up costs combined with complex federal and state requirements make it harder for them to grow a state and federal program aimed at keeping older adults out of nursing homes. Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly offer in-home and center-based care to mostly dual-eligible Medicare and Medicaid enrollees who qualify for skilled nursing facilities, but can remain in their homes. There are approximately 180 PACE programs across 33 states with more than 100 providers interested in starting new programs over the next five years, the National PACE Association said. (Eastabrook, 7/24)

For both patients and clinicians, one of the advantages of traditional Medicare is that it almost entirely lacks the onerous preauthorization reviews that plague the program’s privately administered Medicare Advantage option. But under a new demonstration program recently announced by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, that’s about to change. Preauthorization is about to enter the lives of seniors who have chosen traditional Medicare over Medicare Advantage (MA). (Berwick and Ducas, 7/25)

The federal government has approved more than $4 billion in extra Medicaid funds that will be routed to hospitals, doctors, nursing homes, and other providers this year — just in time before Republicans’ new tax law begins to phase out these bonus payments. The vast majority of the new Medicaid funds, known as “state directed payments,” are for medical providers in New Mexico and West Virginia. (Herman, 7/25)

Sara Habein, a mother of two living in northern Montana, recently learned that she has cysts in her brain. Every six months, her doctors want to check that the cysts aren’t growing. She may need surgery if they get larger and put too much pressure on her brain. If she didn’t have Medicaid, she would either be racking up costs on a payment plan or would have to make a difficult decision about the various other medications and treatments she needs for chronic health issues — all of which she relies on Medicaid to cover. (Rummler and Carrazana, 7/24)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: �鶹Ů�� Health News’ ‘What The Health?’: Here Come The ACA Premium Hikes

Much of the hubbub in health care this year has been focused on Medicaid, which faces dramatically reduced federal funding as the result of the huge budget bill signed by President Donald Trump earlier this month. But now the attention is turning to the Affordable Care Act, which is facing some big changes that could cost many consumers their health coverage as soon as 2026. (Rovner, 7/24)

Roche Holding AG is weighing direct-to-patient drug sales in the US, bypassing the middleman for its pricey medicines for multiple sclerosis, eye disease and cancer. The Swiss drugmaker has discussed direct-to-patient sales with the US government, Chief Executive Officer Thomas Schinecker said on Thursday as the company reported earnings. The move would bring down costs “quite quickly,” he said. (Kresge, 7/24)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: Trump Voters Wanted Relief From Medical Bills. For Millions, The Bills Are About To Get Bigger

President Donald Trump rode to reelection last fall on voter concerns about prices. But as his administration pares back federal rules and programs designed to protect patients from the high cost of health care, Trump risks pushing more Americans into debt, further straining family budgets already stressed by medical bills. Millions of people are expected to lose health insurance in the coming years as a result of the tax cut legislation Trump signed this month, leaving them with fewer protections from large bills if they get sick or suffer an accident. (Levey, 7/25)

When the Cleveland Clinic started acquiring hospitals and medical offices in this palm tree-lined region six years ago, many Floridians were excited. The Ohio nonprofit, ranked among the top hospitals in the world, pledged to bring expert care and an infusion of cash to the state’s Treasure Coast, an area north of Boca Raton brimming with 55-and-up gated communities. But in the years after the Cleveland Clinic’s blue and green signs popped up outside dozens of medical offices, patients began receiving unexpected bills. (Chuck and Amorebieta, 7/24)

In Minnesota, a family received an unexpected charge of over $400 after they took their daughter to the doctor for stomach pain. In Ohio, a man was billed $645 extra for an ear, nose and throat specialist. In New Hampshire, a resident was charged an additional $1,000 fee for an appointment with a urologist. Across the country, patients are expressing frustration about “facility fees” — charges that a wide range of hospital systems add to bills for appointments at facilities they own, including doctors’ offices offering routine care. (Chuck and Amorebieta, 7/24)

As the Trump administration looks to reshape biomedicine, it is taking aim at one of the most universal ways scientists study disease and determine whether drugs are safe and may work in people: animal research. (Russo and Wosen, 7/25)

Nestle SA’s new Chief Executive Officer Laurent Freixe is accelerating plans to revive growth at the world’s largest food company, kicking off a strategic review of struggling vitamin brands after a drop in sales volumes. (Wind, 7/24)

The first oral pill for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) could be around the corner after pharmaceutical company Apnimed Inc. reported positive results from its stage III clinical trial. Currently, many people diagnosed with OSA patients require a machine that covers their nose or both the nose and mouth during sleep and delivers air through a mask to help keep their airways open. (Kekatos, 7/24)

Two cancer drugs could potentially slow or even reverse the effects of Alzheimer’s disease, a new study suggests. Researchers at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) explored how the common dementia changes gene expression (which genes are turned on or off) in certain brain cells, according to a press release from the university. (Rudy, 7/24)

Antibodies from llamas could be used to create a new generation of schizophrenia treatments that can effectively target the brain, rather than just reducing symptoms. This is the promise of a study led by scientists at the Institute of Functional Genomics in Montpellier, France, who have designed a new "nanobody", made from llama antibody fragments, that can activate a receptor involved in regulating neural activity. (Millington, 7/24)

The Food and Drug Administration has cleared a variety of medical devices in the past week for clinical use, including products from Stryker and Zimmer Biomet and two radiology imaging scanners from Asia-based companies. The devices received 510(k) clearance, which means they are similar to other devices on the market and are considered safe to use. (Dubinsky, 7/24)

Yale New Haven Health will no longer provide medication treatment as part of its gender-affirming care services for patients 19 and under, a spokesperson confirmed Thursday morning. The announcement comes one day after Connecticut Children’s Medical Center publicly announced that it would be “winding down” its gender-affirming care program for children. The two facilities were the most prominent providers of youth gender-affirming care in the state. (Golvala, 7/24)

San Francisco’s largest skilled nursing home, Laguna Honda, will not be able to reinstate 120 beds — which would have improved capacity for such care in the rapidly aging city — after federal regulators this month denied the hospital’s attempt to gain approval for the expansion. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) turned down Laguna Honda’s request to reinstate the beds, citing federal regulations that require nursing facilities certified after 2016 to limit residents to two per room. Reinstating the 120 beds would have meant Laguna Honda would have three residents in some of its rooms. (Ho, 7/24)

A chorus of honking cars during Thursday’s morning rush hour on Caton Avenue signaled support for registered nurses at Baltimore’s Ascension Saint Agnes Hospital, who staged a one-day strike to protest staffing shortages, concerns over patient safety and stalled contract negotiations. (Karpovich, 7/24)

A woman who the Pennsylvania State Police say worked under multiple aliases faces multiple criminal charges. The authorities still aren’t sure of her real name. (Walker, 7/24)

A growing number of Americans — more than 63 million, or nearly 1 in 4 — have served as a family caregiver for a loved one in the past year. The figure is a jump of 20 million Americans compared to a decade ago, according to findings released Thursday by AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC). (Rodriguez, 7/24)

Henry Ford Health, Michigan State University and the MSU Research Foundation have created a $10 million venture fund to invest in early-stage healthcare companies. The organizations have a goal of investing an additional $2 million per year over the next five years, according to a Wednesday news release. (DeSilva, 7/23)

Ambient AI medical scribes have become a crowded market, with numerous players jostling for market share. Health tech company Doximity has now jumped in to go head-to-head with AI startups. (Landi, 7/24)

Researchers from New York City-based organizations Columbia University and NewYork-Presbyterian have developed an AI tool capable of identifying patients at risk of having undiagnosed structural heart disease. The tool, called EchoNext, was trained on more than 1.2 million electrocardiogram and echocardiogram data pairs from 230,000 patients, according to a July 16 news release from NewYork-Presbyterian. Upon validation, the tool accurately identified 77% of structural heart problems in 3,200 electrocardiograms compared to 64% accuracy of 13 cardiologists analyzing the same data. (Gregerson, 7/23)

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) today announced that they are tracking a rise in tularemia cases in humans and in companion animals, especially in Twin Cities residents and in cats. Tularemia is caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis, which can be found in wildlife, particularly rabbits, squirrels, beavers, muskrats and other rodents, MDH said. (Soucheray, 7/24)

An out-of-country traveler who passed through Los Angeles International Airport this month and stayed in a local hotel was confirmed to have measles, health officials announced Thursday. L.A. County Department of Public Health officials are investigating two sites in Los Angeles the man visited while infectious, according to a news release. Public spaces where others may have been exposed to the infection are LAX and the Hilton Los Angeles Airport, at 5711 W. Century Blvd. (Buchanan, 7/24)

A new study from the University of Minnesota found that SARS-CoV-2 levels in wastewater accurately predicted the subsequent COVID-19 case count the following week in the community, adding further evidence to the usefulness of wastewater detection. The observational study was published today in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. The authors said the study was conducted to assess the usefulness of wastewater detections for COVID-19 now that widespread community immunity has been obtained through infection and vaccination.  (Soucheray, 7/24)

Although the number of human infections with H5N1 avian flu rose last year, along with outbreaks in dairy cows and poultry, the illnesses were mostly mild, raising the possibility that immunity from seasonal flu virus infection might play a role. Now, new evidence from ferret experiments suggests that earlier exposure to the 2009 H1N1 seasonal flu virus may provide some immunity. (Schnirring, 7/24)

With the school year fast approaching and the United States grappling with its worst measles outbreak in more than three decades, Bay Area public health officials urged families on Thursday to make childhood vaccinations a top priority. Their warning comes amid a surge of vaccine misinformation and a troubling decline in immunization coverage. (Vaziri, 7/24)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: Fearing Medicaid Coverage Loss, Some Parents Rush To Vaccinate Their Kids

For two decades, Washington, D.C., pediatrician Lanre Falusi has counseled parents about vaccine safety, side effects, and timing. But this year, she said, the conversations have changed. ... Throughout the country, pediatricians say anxious parents are concerned about access to routine childhood immunizations, especially those with children on Medicaid, the government insurance program for low-income families and people with disabilities. Medicaid covers 4 in 10 children in the U.S. (Fortiér, 7/25)

A consortium consisting of Nordic Capital and Permira is in talks for a potential takeover of Bavarian Nordic A/S, a Copenhagen-listed vaccine maker. The private equity firms and Bavarian are having ongoing discussions, the Danish company said in a statement on Thursday that confirmed an earlier Bloomberg News report. There’s no certainty an offer will be made, it added. (Nair, Brown, Gopinath, and David, 7/24)

Therapists are cautious about sharing personal information. When they fall ill or die unexpectedly, the shock can be shattering. (Barry, 7/24)

Eating disorder centers are facing an influx of people with weight-loss prescriptions. Experts say doctors are overprescribing them, and some patients are taking them in secret. (Ellin, 7/24)

No question is too small when Kayla Chege, a high school student in Kansas, is using artificial intelligence. The 15-year-old asks ChatGPT for guidance on back-to-school shopping, makeup colors, low-calorie choices at Smoothie King, plus ideas for her Sweet 16 and her younger sister’s birthday party. ... For the past couple of years, concerns about cheating at school have dominated the conversation around kids and AI. But artificial intelligence is playing a much larger role in many of their lives. AI, teens say, has become a go-to source for personal advice, emotional support, everyday decision-making and problem-solving. (Gecker, 7/23)

Fifteen years ago, a group of scientists made a bold claim in Science, one of the world’s most prominent research journals: They had discovered a microorganism that could survive using chemistry different from any known life-form. On Thursday, the top editors of Science formally retracted the 2010 paper, saying it was fundamentally flawed. The journal’s editors did not accuse the paper’s authors of misconduct or fraud. Instead they said they were motivated to conclude a chapter of scientific debate that had roiled research institutions and the lives of academics who once were brought under intense scrutiny by social media and bloggers. (Scoles, 7/24)

The golfer swings his club in a graceful arc and then focuses his gaze on the ball sailing 200 yards or so into the distance. He smiles, satisfied that he was able to keep his balance on his prosthetic leg as he twisted to hit his drive shot. Ukraine’s exclusive and expensive golf clubs have opened to war amputees, who play free of charge. Rehabilitation experts say that sunshine and nature can be healing for the traumatized soldiers, and that the uneven, soft surface of golf courses helps them to master their prosthetics. (Kramer, 7/25)

Every decade since the 1970s, Congress has tried and failed to reform Medicaid, the health entitlement for the poor. Republican lawmakers’ latest effort — as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — appears to be no different. Instead of addressing the program’s core deficiencies, the party instead fixated on shrinking it. The likely result? Needless disruption and little in the way of serious savings or reform. (7/24)

Last week, I wrote about how easy-to-conceal nicotine pouches manufactured by tobacco companies are addicting youths to the drug, just as e-cigarettes did before them. Most readers I heard are concerned that the product is the latest cynical ploy by Big Tobacco to draw in a new generation of users. (Leana S. Wen, 7/24)

Last week, the Trump administration rejected the 2024 amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) — a global treaty that the United States has been a part of since 2007. The rejection cited concerns about sovereignty, scientific freedom, and World Health Organization overreach. (Stephanie Psaki, 7/24)

Value-based care is too often misunderstood — and sometimes even maligned. Recent surveys show patients sometimes associate the term with cheaper, lower-quality “knock-off” care. Some industry observers choose to put the term in quotation marks, signaling skepticism, while others contend that ACO, familiar shorthand for Accountable Care Organization, stands for “another consultant opportunity.” (Mara McDermott, 7/22)

Every day, firefighters respond to sickness, trauma, tragedy and disaster. As a firefighter in Colorado, I have personally experienced and witnessed the toll this work takes on our mental health. But as of July 1, the program meant to support our emotional well‑being — the Colorado Firefighter Benefits Trust Behavioral Health Program, created in 2022 under Senate Bill 2 — was slashed from a $10,000 annual benefit per firefighter to a $1,000 lifetime cap. (Linda Crane, 7/24)